Instinct
by 11668
Summary: When Katniss, Gale, Peeta, Finnick, Finch, Beetee, and Thor escape from District 13 to join the Capitol war for themselves, they run out of food and have to resort to "desperate" measures. I don't own HG or any of the characters except Thor, who is my creation and may be used in a full-blown Games story , etc, etc, insert legal stuff here.


**One**

"No". That's the word they used for all of them when they wanted to fight in the Capitol. Katniss for mental instability. Peeta for possible traitor status. Finnick Odair for the drop in popularity if he went in. Finch, a girl who got out of the 74th Hunger Games by faking poisoning, because Thirteen wanted to deny that she still lived. Beetee, from District 3, as he was too valuable in Thirteen. Thor, a boy from District 5 who won the 42nd Hunger Games with his knowledge of arcane methods of collecting electricity, for the same reasons as Finnick. And Gale Hawthorne, because being without Katniss would have a huge negative effect on him, and vice versa.

Gale's words to Katniss in the now-destroyed District 12 floated to the top of her mind. "We could do it, you know. Take off, live in the woods". And Katniss felt that that hope was not yet gone, that they could all escape. Katniss hatched a plan. They would all escape to the Capitol, but only some would actually get there. Some were warned. Most welcomed it. Some were not.

An hour later, Finch was holding a map of Panem that she stole from one of the offices. They would have to trek southwards until they got to a point south of District 6, where they would go west towards the Capitol. This would take them through the mountains, and they would end up slightly south of the Capitol, where Finch and Thor could head northwest to District 5 and avoid the fighting. Likewise, Beetee could head southwest to his own home, District 3. Those three didn't want to fight. They just wanted to escape the newfound oppression of Thirteen.

They set off soon after the discussion.

**Two**

The journey passed without hitches for the first half, aside from them almost being seen by District 6 guards. Nobody cared whose side they were on. They didn't want to be trapped by the Capitol _or_ Thirteen. For the most part, food was not a problem, as Katniss, Gale and Finch all had experience with hiunting and gathering. Finnick despaired of not being near any water to find any food there. But they hit a large shortage at the mountains. Nobody understood any of the food there, not even Finch, who said that even though they were over halfway to District 5, her home was much less wild than these mountains.

It had been about a week in the mountains without any food when they finally gave up on their thousandth hunt and started to rest. The camp, by now, had split into factions. Katniss and Gale. Peeta and Finnick. Thor and Finch, who preferred not to be near anyone. Beetee had split off from the pack earlier that week, as someone had sighted District 3 on the southwestern horizon. This was even evident now, at what Katniss assumed to be about seven in the morning.

Katniss thought she was about to die. Even the arena had not prepared her for this. She laughed to herself, about how many people would kill – voluntarily – to be in her situation, in the mountains, away from the Capitol, sleeping next to someone as strong and handsome as Gale. Then she saw that she was not the only one thinking of him. Finch was also awake, on watch, and was looking at Gale with a smile that Katniss could not understand. It was the sort of smile that hunters make when they fell a deer.

Katniss had no time to react. Finch, silent as ever, even in her hunger-driven state of mind, leapt over to Gale, produced a knife, and slit his throat. Katniss felt the world was coming to an end. Gale, dead. She fell back to sleep, leaving Finch to do whatever she was going to do. Just before closing her eyes, she saw Peeta sitting up and walking over to Finch...

Katniss only woke up at around four. Looking around her, it looked like she was one of the last to wake up. Finnick and Thor were trying to wake her up and beckoning her over. She made herself modest in barely two minutes, thanks to what happened last night. And couldn't believe her eyes.

Gale was almost naked, his muscular body visible to all who cared to look. He was being held by a stick, almost spit-like, over a fire, which by the looks of things, Thor was getting ready to light.

"What is the meaning of this?" shouted Katniss. "We need food, remember? We've caught an animal. We hunted, Katniss, that's what we did" replies Finnick.

Katniss was fantastically confused at this point. Were they planning on... _eating_ Gale? Surely not. Gale's words, again, echoed in Katniss's mind: "Killing an animal, killing a human... It can't be all that different". Such irony.

"Are you eating him?" said Katniss.

"Of course. We need meat" said Peeta.

"But why Gale, of all people? You'd imagine that he would be one of the most useful team members..."

"He's just the strongest person here, that's all"

"So what?"

"That means he's more muscular"

"So..."

"There's a lot of good meat on this one" said Finnick, prodding Gale's calf. "Almost all muscle. Good eating, is Gale". He moved over Gale's body and started to massage it. "Why are you doing that?" questions Thor. "To make the meat more tender". Now, thought Katniss, they are truly serious.

Katniss watched, helpless to prevent this, as Gale was moved over the fire and his flesh began to slowly roast. After a few hours, Finch took out a knife and handed it to Finnick. Katniss recognised it as the one that she used to kill Gale with. Finnick then started to carve the now-cooked carcass. He carved off one of Gale's legs and started to cut the meat into manageable pieces. He handed some to Peeta, Finch, Thor, and Katniss as well as kept some of it for himself. Apart from Katniss, each of the people began to eat.

Finch was the first to comment. "This... tastes like a strong, wild animal". Peeta explained: "That's because Gale is, basically, a strong animal, and you'd expect him to taste like one". Thor agreed, saying "Slightly gamey, possibly, and the meat is a bit tough, but overall, good to eat, I suppose". Finnick was next, saying that Gale's meat was a change from fish, the standard fare in District 4, and joked, "As far as meat goes, roast hunter is pretty good". Last to comment was Peeta, who savoured the meat before saying "I wish we could get this in Thirteen. I can see why food lovers often say the meat of predators is superior to that of farm animals: if Gale is anything to go by, they're right". Katniss was the only one not to have touched her meal. Peeta said "You might as well. Nothing else to do. If you won't eat him, then more fool you. He's tasty". Katniss tentatively nibbled at Gale's thigh meat. Actually, she thought, this isn't too bad. Her survival instincts got the better of her and she began to eat.

After finishing the leg, Finnick, always culinarily adventurous, suggested trying to eat some of the other cuts of meat on Gale's body. Peeta gestured that the arm might be worth a try, and carved off one of Gale's strong arms, letting the meat cook over the fire for a few minutes, and again, served. Finnick seemed to like the taste of Gale's flesh the most, savouring every bite as he gradually stripped one of his meaty forearms. Finch, uneasily at first, but soon becoming more confident, carved away at his upper arm until she could free his strong bicep, which she then ate, saying that she preferred the taste of this part of Gale to the leg. Once the arm had been finished, Finch excused herself, saying that she had a feeling something was over the next mountain. Ten minutes later, she returned, saying she'd seen District 5 to the west. Peeta then carved an arm and one of Gale's shoulders, and presented the joint of meat to Finch, as supplies for the journey. Finch then left with Thor, back home, to 5.

Katniss, Peeta and Finnick, however, stayed at the campsite, Finnick carving the second leg, so the three of them could continue eating the great hunter, Katniss included, who by this time had admitted defeat and was eating as much of Gale's meat as the others. Peeta sarted to carve some of Gale's breast meat, and even Katniss, Gale's ex-hunting partner, was surprised at how much muscle there was on his chest. And so it went on, until most of Gale had been eaten. They carved away some of the meat on Gale's flanks for the journey, and finished off the meat on his strong back. And all of them wondered why hunter wasn't on the menu more often.


End file.
